November 2018

16 Days of Action

On 25th November our 16 days of action will start.

​​​16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence stems from the original movement, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. The movement first begun at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991, an event sponsored by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership.

Since 1991, 5,167 groups in 187 countries have contributed to promoting and supporting these 16 Days. Large organisations such as the world-renowned Amnesty International and World Health Organisation support and celebrate the 16 Days, as well as far more local, grassroots projects.

Spanning across 16 days, here at Coventry City Council, a different theme will be identified each day to explore the various forms of domestic violence. You will see the messages on our social media channels, in-house digital screens across Friargate, the Council House, Broadgate House and the Family Hubs.

You will also see that some parts of the city centre will be lit orange, including: Broadgate, Gosford Street flyover and West Orchards.

Following on from the launch of Coventry’s Domestic Abuse Strategy, we are keen to keep the message that ‘Domestic Abuse is Everybody’s Business’ at the forefront of conversation. We ask you to make it part of your conversations.

On Friday 30th November we are encouraging you all to wear orange to support the 16 Days Of Action. If you’re on social media, why not add to your support, by uploading a photo of yourself wearing orange, tweeting or posting on Facebook, ‘#IWoreOrange to support #16DaysOfAction. Make #DomesticAbuse #EverybodysBusiness’.

July 2018

Coventry launches a new Domestic Abuse strategy

​The strategy will take a long-term preventative approach to tackling domestic abuse, including honour-based violence and forced marriage.

The strategy focuses on:

improving awareness and understanding across all levels of society;

providing services tailored to local need, and removing barriers to service access;

empowering victims to report, and break free from the cycle of abuse;

protecting children and ensuring that their voices are heard and valued;

and facilitating behaviour change in perpetrators, whilst also ensuring that they are held accountable for their actions.

Domestic abuse can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, although women and children carry the greatest burden.The rate of domestic abuse is higher in Coventry than the national average. Between April 2016 and July 2017 there were more than 2700 domestic abuse incidents recorded by West Midlands Police in Coventry.The consequences of domestic abuse are devastating. It is associated with an increased risk of mental and physical health problems; and children exposed to domestic abuse are at an increased risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator themselves.Cllr Pervez Akhtar, Deputy Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities said: “Domestic abuse in all its forms is an issue which needs our attention – we all have to play a part in tackling not just the crimes themselves, but the root causes.”Across England, almost two million people experienced domestic abuse in 2016-17.”For too many people, domestic abuse is part and parcel of their daily lives and it is present in all of our city’s communities. The strategy aims to change that – we want to consign these crimes to history.”The Coventry Domestic Violence and Abuse Partnership, made up of Refuge, Barnardo’s, Valley House, Panahghar and Fry Housing, provides services for victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse in Coventry. Coventry Haven supports women and children experiencing domestic abuse.Individuals of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee background; adults with care and support needs including disabled people; older people; men; and those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender can face additional barriers to accessing support services.The priorities of the strategy have been informed by consultation with a wide range of partners including users and providers of domestic abuse services, voluntary and community sector organisations, West Midlands Police, Coventry and Rugby CCG, and colleagues from health and social care, and education.Targeted engagement has also been carried out with young people and adults with care and support needs with the help of Positive Youth Foundation and Grapevine Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health at Coventry City Council, added: “The strategy has been developed with contributions from many voluntary, and community groups and organisations. That’s important because it needs all of us to be vigilant and we need to help understand domestic abuse in all its forms and support victims to bring these crimes out into the open.”You can find a video, specially crafted for the launch, on the Coventry City Council YouTube channel by here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9bYIkOz72k

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